28 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
THE NURSERYMAIDS INFLUENCE. 
Through an Army of Agents He Affects the Trend of Horticulture 
—Lack of Sufficient Knowledge and Appreciation of the 
Great Value af Adaptation of Varieties to Special 
Localities—Unity In Business is Urged. 
In an address before the Southern Minnesota Horticultural 
Society, C. G. Patten, Charles City, la., said: 
If we consider the number of nurserymen who are actively 
engaged in the business in any or all of the western states, or 
even in the whole country, and compare their numbers with 
the vast extent of territory that they occupy, one might easily 
underrate the influence that this class of men wield in horti¬ 
culture. But I am free to say that I am of the opinion that 
directly and indirectly their influence is greater than that of all 
the horticultural editors and writers combined. Everywhere 
over the broad prairies, in the forests that are being opened to 
cultivation on the outskirts of the newer territories, on the hills 
and plains and in the valleys of the mountains, everywhere the 
irrepressibie “tree agent,” directly or indirectly the represent¬ 
ative of the nurseryman, is found. It is true that in a large 
way the “tree agent” represents only himself or some “com¬ 
mercial agency,” but many of the nurseries keep in the field from 
twenty-five to one hundred and even five hundred men, and it 
cannot be denied that this great army of men by their personal 
and persistent solicitation must wield an immense influence 
either for good or evil in horticulture, and I feel certain that 
this influence has never been properly considered or under¬ 
stood even by the nurserymen. 
The nurserymen have not properly considered or understood 
the weighty moral obligation that they are under to the public. 
For through this great army of persoi al solicitors they mould 
an influence over the common people as no other force possi¬ 
bly can do. They reach hundreds of thousands of people that 
are not reached, and if so in a limited way, either by the horti¬ 
cultural editors or writers. The moral aspect of this question 
has not, I am sure, been fully considered. Indeed, this is by 
no means the only subject where the weightier matters of 
equity and righteousness have been for a long time overlooked 
in the ever present struggle for existence. 
It requires a powerful effort on the part of the best people 
and the best minds of the age to educate and bring up the 
public mind to a high standard of moral excellence so that it 
will recognize the fact even in a business sense that the right 
way is the best way. 
In horticulture behind the great number of solicitors stand 
the nurseryman, the florist, the gardener, and the special hor¬ 
ticulturist and pomologist. And if for a quarter of a century 
past these men had properly weighed their influence for good 
or ill, there cannot be the least shadow of a doubt that the 
whole nursery and horticultural business would stand upon a 
much higher plane than it does. One of the greatest obstacles 
that has confronted the nurseryman and the horticultural pub¬ 
lic has been the lack of sufficient knowledge and appreciation 
of the great value of adaptation of varieties of trees, shrubs, 
vines and plants to special localities. And as hinted before 
the nurseryman has not sufficiently considered the men or the 
methods used in securing trade for his products, or the char¬ 
acter of the commercial or middle man.to whom he sold his 
stock, whether he was a man who was upright in his dealings, 
or whether he was the most conscienceless scoundrel wfio was 
ever permitted to prey upon the public. 
There should be more community of action and more unity 
in business among nurserymen. The practice of sending out 
untried novelties with such over-wrought descriptions that it 
amounts to little less than positive falsehoods and preconceived 
fraud, should be frowned upon and most severely denounced, 
whether it comes from the weakest itinerant salesman or the 
most opulent and highly respected advertiser. 
Nurserymen should demand as a first requisite in a solicitor 
that he must be honorable in his dealings. Nurserymen should 
also combine with each other to maintain good living prices on 
all well known valuable varieties throughout the entire list of 
horticultural products, to the end that they may have some¬ 
thing above the necessities of every day life, so that they may 
properly test all new varieties, and by thus doing protect their 
patrons and be able to give them value received for what they 
buy. 
Again, that important factor in the problem of successful 
horticulture, namely: 
Adaptation of varieties, should receive at the hands of state 
and national nursery and fruit growers’ associations the most 
careful and conscientious consideration, and these several 
bodies should insist that any nurseryman who did not manifest 
a high regard for this most important line of work was not in 
touch with the best methods and the best interests for the pro¬ 
motion and elevation of this “science that doth so mend 
nature.” 
THE BOSC PEAR. 
The Bose pear will never be a glut in the market, for the 
reason that the tree grows so crooked and slowly that nursery¬ 
men will not grow it, says Edwin Hoyt in Rural New Yorker. 
Those who buy trees do not understand that there is as much 
difference in the habit of growth of trees as there is in ani¬ 
mals, and are not willing to pay any more for one tree than 
another of the same species. If a nurseryman were to bud 
1,000 stocks to Bartlett, he would, no doubt, get 900 good 
trees, while if 1,000 stocks were budded to Bose, he might not 
get more than 100 good salable trees, and many of these might 
have to be staked while growing to get the body up straight so 
as to make a tree a customer would receive if sent to him. 
Many nurserymen grow a few Bose by top working them, that 
is, by budding the Bose in the top of some strong growing 
variety like Clapp, Buffum or Anjou. To raise the trees in 
this way, the nurseryman has to charge more for them to pay 
him for his extra trouble. 
If one wish to obtain a Bose pear orchard, the best way to 
get it is to set Clapp or some strong growing variety. Let it 
grow two years, then top-graft it. This, of course, is some 
trouble and expense to do, yet the one who does it will get a 
good paying pear orchard, for this variety will never be over¬ 
produced. It is a fine pear, a heavy bearer, and usually grows 
smooth and fair with good fee,ding and cultivation, such as any 
orchard should have for profit. The Winter Nellis is one of 
the best of the winter pears, but the tree is like the Bose, so 
poor and crooked a grower that few trees are raised by the 
nurserymen. To succeed with this variety, it must be top- 
grafted as above directed for the Bose. 
